Naked & Famous: Not Me, The Drink
I’ve been hard at work trying all sorts of cocktails (so much hard work) to catch that flicker-flame of obsession that lights up my curiosity. So much so that I've chased it down to its bitter end. Stupefied into stupor, crawling into bed (crashing on the couch), dreaming of the perfect cocktail to tingle my buzz (to oblivion and beyond).
For Halloween, I wanted to write about the Corpse Reviver, but I had two different styles of the drink, and to be honest, fell short of being wowed.
For Christmas, I made my own eggnog at home, and while it was a blast and super tasty, how much can one wax poetic about eggnog? (I’m guessing some of you could).
Finally, though, as I sit at a bar in the East Village (where I do my best writing for this column and in general), I happen upon a bottle of yellow chartreuse singled out, on its lonesome, in the timeout corner of the bar shelf.
I think: What drinks can be made with yellow chartreuse, green chartreuse's less-appreciated younger sibling? A quick googling leads me to a drink perfect for ringing in the new year in style, aptly named: Naked & Famous.
Officially listed by the IBA, the Naked & Famous cocktail strikes a precise harmony. A perfect mélange of old and new, retro and modern. Equal parts Mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and Lime Juice, the innovation that pays respect to the Last Word cocktail, but isn't afraid to add a bit of flare, a bit of fun.
Smokey, citrus, sharp, and sweet, the off-beat beverage packs a punch, sending taste buds into overdrive.
The mezcal is muted (in a good way), but we still get that oh-so-subtle smoke. The flavor bomb of pure zest sings of an orangey goodness like you’re walking through a Florida citrus grove or swimming in a boozy pool of Fanta. And the tart/sweet flavor notes from the Aperol and fresh lime juice give it that drinkability factor that keeps you coming back for gulps galore. Finally, the chartreuse provides a herbaceous, edgy quality, layering the drink with complex notes, making you search for more in every sip, until you must ask for a second: an encore pour.
Sitting at a hammered steel bar top in the West Village, I look around and see people conversing, catching up, the clink of ice cubes, the banter of a nearby conversation, he saids and she saids, the maraca of ice in a mixing glass, bartenders calling out in code, the lull of a weekday turning into the buzz of a weekend, music that can only be described as Thursday night hip hop, chill and understated. The metronomic snare kicking my neck into a constant head nod, confirming the beat. I realize the drink isn’t just the drink. It comes with the culture. The discovery, talk, questions, interest, curiosity, desire, enjoyment. Call me sentimental, but act of imbibing is people and culture at work.
Alejandro Romero, the seasoned bartender at MACE (one of the World’s 50 Best Bars) in the West Village and The Cabinet out of Alphabet City, describes the drink as the perfect cocktail to marry Aperol and mezcal. “It’s refreshing and fruit-forward, Smokey too, but not too much. It’s one of my favorites.” So next time you want to order a cocktail that’s off menu, insider baseball, and still super delicious, order the Naked & Famous.
Chaser:
If you really want to go obscure, there's another player in this cocktail trio. The family starts with the previously written about classic, Last Word, then the aforementioned Naked & Famous, and finally a future column potential, Ultima Palabra (Spanish for Last Word). La Ultima Palabra stays a bit truer to the classic by just switching out the gin with mezcal and adding a bit of fresh pineapple juice for good measure, along with the usual equal parts (3/4 fl oz) of lime juice, green chartreuse, and maraschino liqueur. And there you have it. Three wild cocktails to round out your repertoire. Remember, these are bartender cocktails (the Last Word has gained popularity recently, but the Naked & Famous and Ultima Palabra are oddball orders). Don't be afraid to ask questions. They'll love the conversation.
